55th ISLE Annual Conference: The 55th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) will be held during 16-18 December 2013 at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. Professor Jayati Ghosh, Chairperson, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning (CESP), School of Social Sciences (SSS), JNU is the Conference President. Professor Praveen Jha, CESP and Chairperson of the Centre for Informal Sector and Labour Studies (CISLS), SSS, JNU is the Local Organising Secretary.

Communication from ISLE about acceptance of Papers: 15 November 2013. Those who want an early communication on the acceptance of their papers should request for early information in this regard while sending their papers.

Last date of registration: 30 November 2013

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION Registration fee may be made in favour of "2013 ISLE ANNUAL CONFERENCE", payable at State Bank of India, JNU New Campus Delhi, 110067 and sent by 30 November 2013 to the local organizing secretary Professor Praveen Jha, Chairperson, Centre for Informal Sector Informal Sector and Labour Studies, School of Social Science, JNU, New Delhi- 110 067 with soft copy to 55isleconference.jnu@gmail.com

REGISTRATION FEE: The registration fee for the Conference is Rs. 1000/-. Registration will entitle the participants to avail of modest boarding and lodging as well as the conference kit. The completed registration form along with a demand draft (DD) drawn in favour of 2013 ISLE Annual Conference, payable at State Bank of India, JNU New Campus Branch, New Delhi, should be sent to the organizers at the address mentioned below by 30 November 2013.

Participants who have not renewed their membership of the ISLE for the year 2013 need to pay their membership fee to be able to attend the Conference. The annual membership fee is Rs. 400/- for those from India (Rs 4000 lifetime), and US $75 for those from developing countries, and US $125 for those from other countries.On spot registrations commence on 15 December 2013 at JNU at 1 pm. Delegates are requested to send complete information along with the registration fee at the earliest so that proper arrangements can be made for their accommodation. Online/prior registration is advised. Kindly note, for those who register on the spot, it may be difficult for us to arrange for accommodation.

TIMINGS OF THE CONFERENCE The Conference will start at 9:30 am on 16 December 2013 and will be over by Lunch on 18 December, 2013. The delegates are advised to reach a day prior to the Conference and depart in the evening of 18 December 2013.

PRE CONFERENCE EVENT: A pre-conference event is also being planned in the afternoon of 15 December, 2013 (1.30 pm - 7 pm) and those who want to participate in it should reach New Delhi by noon on 15 December, 2013.

HTML5 is the cornerstone of the Open Web Platform that the Web community is building. The Web has become a critical global resource that is transforming all industries, including mobile, television, gaming, publishing, and health care. Forward-thinking industries are turning to the Web as the platform of choice for integrating diverse devices, services, and business models. This W3C HTML5 training course will let you know about all the new features that were introduced to help Web site authors to create great Web sites, in a simplified but powerful way. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) India Office is organizing an HTML5 Tour in India from 17 - 25 September 2013. The Eminent technology leader & expert from the World Wide Web Consortium will impart training on HTML5 and W3C's Open Web Platform to developers, students and other academies. The Tour will be scheduled across India's 5 metropolis cities - New Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune.

1. 17th September 2013Location : New DelhiTheme : Authoring the Web: New ways to build complex Web content, including the use of Web Components2. 19th September 2013Location : BangaloreTheme : Understanding the Web: Core features of the Web Platform (aka HTML5) 3. 21st September 2013Location : IIIT HyderabadTheme : Powering the Web: New ways to tune and optimize the performance of Web applications4. 23rd September 2013Location : C-DAC KolkataTheme : Rethinking the Web: New modes of operation for Web applications,including offline Web applications, the Next Generation 5. 25th September 2013Location : C-DAC, PuneTheme : Connecting the Web: New ways to use the Web to connect with other people, including real-time video chat and video conferencing (WebRTC)

Essential Knowledge: HTML: Basic Knowledge of HTMLCSS: minimal familiarity with CSSDOM: extensive knowledge of the DOM is not necessary, but the ability to work with some of its more basic methods (getElementById, appendChild, etc.) is required JavaScript: basic knowledge is sufficient

Who should attend?Web developers and content authors ready to update their skills with HTML5Web designersMobile Web developersBeginning to intermediate programmers with basic Web knowledge who want to learn new skills

National Student Challenge 2013

NSC 2013 brings together young people who want to be change-makers in India's urban transformation. If you believe that you can design solutions to some of the most pressing urban problems – mobility, housing, livelihoods, education, safety and violence, and disaster risk reduction – NSC 2013 is the platform for you.

We invite undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students from institutions all over the country to come up with creative ideas to solve traffic problems, manage waste or provide viable livelihood options to the urban poor. Winning teams will receive an implementation grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, in addition to expert guidance and support to turn their ideas into sustainable ventures.

Eligibility Criteria Undergraduate Students Post-graduate Students Doctoral Students

Age Limit: 30 Years (As of 15.10.2013)

Participate in the 'Challenge' 1. Form teams of 3 to 5 students 2. Identify an urban challenge 3. Formulate Problem Statement and a Possible Solution Statement 4. Submit Problem and Solution Statements

After submission The deadline for submission of statements is 01.10.2013. 25 teams will be shortlisted based on several parameters and notified by 13.10.2013. If your team is shortlisted, you will be assigned a mentor, a subject matter expert in your chosen theme, who will help streamline your solution. After 6 weeks of mentoring, you will present your solution to an eminent jury at the finals on December 11 and 12, 2013 at the IIHS Bangalore Campus.

"Cultural Expression" to an Urban Issue The 25 shortlisted teams have the option of expressing their observations about Urban Issues through creative arts. You may also select a performing art to portray your idea. The expressions could be in the form of play-acting, film, dance & song, role-play, narration, miming, parody, photography or painting. These expressions could complement your chosen themes and provide relatable context. Cultural Expression is optional.

Prizes Top three teams will receive an implementation grant of Rs. 3,00,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation apart from the individual cash prizes they also get.

Additionally, please free to contact us at any point of time at nsc@transformurbanindia.com or call us at: 91-80-67606666. You can ask for either Shalini Pal or Sarat Chandra Gnanamgari and we'll be happy to assist you with your queries. We wish you all the best!

IMPORTANT DEADLINES09|09|2013 – Final date for registration of teams01|10|2013 – Final date for the submission of the statements 12|10|2013 – Final shortlisting of the teams19|10|2013 – Mentor mapping and assigning of mentors11 & 12 December 2013 – NSC 2013 Finals

Brief Sketch of the organization: The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) is a national education institution committed to the equitable, sustainable and efficient transformation of Indian settlements. IIHS holds its flagship student-focused initiative, Transform Urban India National Student Challenge (TUI-NSC) each year. The NSC 2013 is a platform which aims to bring together young people who want to be change-makers in India's urban transformation. Undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students are invited from institutions all over the country to come up with creative ideas to solve problems facing urban centers.

Over the last three decades the scholastic, intellectual, political and social interests in Gandhiji's life and thought has acquired a new urgency and depth. Gandhiji's writings like An Autobiography Or The Story of My Experiments with Truth and Hind Swaraj have been subject of minute textual, philosophical and literary studies. The theory and practice of Satyagraha, constructive work and the institutions that Gandhiji established have come to be studied by historians, political theorists and commentators and chroniclers of social movements. Lives of Gandhiji's associates and interlocutors like Mahadev Desai, J C Kumarrapa, Mirabehn, C F Andrews and Lanza Del Vasto have added to our understanding of Gandhiji. As a result of these studies our understanding of Gandhiana has emerged deeper, richer and nuanced. The Winter School seeks to acquaint the participant to this variegated intellectual tradition of thinking of and about Gandhiji. The School would seek to provide a non-fragmentary understanding of Gandhiji's life and thought. Quite often we have come to look at political Gandhi as quite distinct from the Gandhi of the constructive work or see Gandhiji's spiritual quest as distinct from his quest for Swaraj. The School would try to unravel the underlying relationship between seemingly disparate practices, utterances and writings. With this in view a Two week Winter School is proposed to be held at Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla during 20 November-4 December 2013. The Winter School will be conducted by Professor Tridip Suhrud, Director, Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad and other eminent scholars from several disciplines who will explore various aspects of Gandhi's life and thought. Applications are invited from young College and University teachers/researchers from Humanities and Social Sciences/Journalist/ NGO activist in the age group of 22 to 35 years.A batch of 25 participants will be selected from amongst the applicants. Those interested may send their bio-data (that should include their academic qualification, experience, research interest and area of specialization) along with the note of 200-250 words regarding how they perceive life and thought of Gandhi. All expenses will be borne by the IIAS. Applications may be sent by e-mail at iiasschool@gmail.com which must reach IIAS by 15th September 2013. Those selected will be informed by 15th October 2013. The decision of the Institute in selection of candidates to attend the Winter School would be final and no correspondence in this regard would be entertained.

The workshop will be in the form of a media research lab. The focus will be on interdisciplinary engagement with new media, digital culture and technology on issues of human rights violations and humanitarian disasters. The workshop will run parallel to the Eleventh Orientation Course on Forced Migration Studies to be held in Kolkata, India (8-14 December 2013). The workshop will engage with critical questions, such as: How empowering, after all, is social media? Has it indeed democratized news? If yes, in what modes and forms has this democratization been attained? In democratic societies, how shall we draw the fi ne line between freedom of expression and of defamation? The workshop will engage with these questions through the optic of humanitarian disasters and human rights violations and the need to protect the victims of these disasters and violations. The workshop will endeavour to sensitize social media activists to issues of rights and protection resulting from forced migration, and, in the process of the programme, establish connect between mainstream journalists working on forced migration issues and social media activists. The participation of social media activists will be the main source of information. Applications are invited from citizen journalists, social-media activists, and professional journalists. Applications from human-rights activists, policymakers, media specialists, and activists working in the field of human rights and humanitarian assistance for victims of forced migration are also welcome. Applicants must have (a) experience in traditional or social media studies, or policy studies on forced migration, OR, two-year experience of working in the traditional media or social media activism, AND (b) profi ciency in English. Besides giving all necessary particulars, application must be accompanied by one appropriate recommendation letter and a 500-1000 word write-up on how the programme is relevant to the applicant's work and may benefi t the applicant. Applicants will have to pay a registration fee of INR 2,000 (for non-Indian participants USD$ 200). In Kolkata, the CRG will provide accommodation and bear other expenses for all participants. Inquiries relating to the application procedure are welcome. Applications, addressed to the Media Module Coordinator, should be sent by e-mail to atig@mcrg.ac.in and forcedmigrationdesk@mcrg.ac.in or by post to the following address: Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, GC 45 Sector 3, Salt Lake, Kolkata – 700 106, West Bengal, India. Phone: +91 (33) 2337 0408. The workshop is being supported by the British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata. All applications must reach by 9 September 2013.

Many countries are pursuing a policy of setting up centres of research excellence within universities, as inter-university centres or stand-alone institutes, often as part of a strategy to improve not just research but also teaching and innovation. But centres of excellence may not always be a panacea for upgrading science, research and teaching in developing countries, the OECD experts meeting in Marseille heard. Many countries are pursuing a policy of setting up centres of research excellence within universities, as inter-university centres or stand-alone institutes, often as part of a strategy to improve not just research but also teaching and innovation. But centres of excellence may not always be a panacea for upgrading science, research and teaching in developing countries, the OECD experts meeting in Marseille heard.

A country must have "a strong science system and education system", as well as excellent universities and research. "Without that, trying to impose centres of excellence as a policy measure might backfire," said Venni V Krishna, professor of science policy in the school of social sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

Krishna's study on India's experience of centres of excellence was presented at the meeting organised by the OECD's programme on Innovation, Higher Education and Research for Development – IHERD – held in Marseille from 1-2 July.

"A country needs to develop a scientific research climate and research innovation ecosystem for a certain period of time, then try to build excellence. Only then will it be able to reap the benefits," Krishna said.

African countries, for example, will first need a few good universities with good laboratories and to develop a local scientific community in two to three areas of research, before setting up a centre of excellence.

"If the country doesn't have a worthwhile scientific community, if it is not publishing science, if it is not publishing research, what is the use of having centres of excellence? It will remain a kind of oasis," Krishna told University World News.

India's experience

India has successfully set up a number of centres of excellence.

Some are based at universities geared towards professionalising and advancing research and training in specific areas of science, technology and social science. Others are centres within government science-oriented agencies, geared towards research, innovation and specialised services in new technologies.

While sponsored by the science-oriented ministries, most of the centres of excellence are based at specialised academic research institutes such as the Indian institutes of technology and the Indian Institute for Science in Bangalore.

While India does not spend as much on R&D as many industrially advanced countries, the money it has provided has been as long-term financial support for the centres, which is important for continuity.

Despite a push by the government to develop research at the university level – in part due to pressure from international university rankings, in which India performs relatively poorly – Krishna said there was no evidence to show that one system is better than the other.

"We don't see any kind of difference between the academic output located within universities or outside them in terms of the quality of the research and the knowledge," he said.

Because international rankings include a number of indicators, including internationalisation – on which India does not score well – Krishna believes rankings do not reflect research quality alone.

But modern science is very capital intensive. "Even if you get to the professional level, you need to constantly pump in money." With half of India's science budget being spent on atomic energy and space research, these areas of research are world class, he pointed out.

Despite a lack of infrastructure compared to European public universities, some Indian centres of excellence, Krishna believes, are on a par with top universities like Oxford, Cambridge and the London School of Economics in the intellectual quality of social science research.

Professionalising research

But some centres of excellence have fizzled out in India – notably mathematics research at Banaras Hindu University – and a few are a pale shadow of their former selves because they relied heavily on strong individual intellectual leadership.

Professionalising and institutionalising research is important to building a research community. "The intellectual culture and professional culture which was centred on the research leader was not able to become institutionalised over a period of time. So when they [the leaders] left, those excellence centres started crumbling," Krishna said.

"But if you look at Cambridge and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, individual elite scientists become unimportant and the system is very important. No matter what happens, the system continues to maintain that excellence."

Centres of excellence can be based around fundamental science or more applied sciences and innovation, but the goals must be clear.

The university-based centres are not specifically directed to promote technological innovation, university-industry relations or transfer of knowledge to create new firms, according to Krishna's paper, but to strengthen research quality in particular spheres.

These goals can be long-term, mainly fundamental research such as India's space programme, or medium-term or shorter-term research designed to solve particular problems.

"In biotechnology, India has been building postgraduate research centres, teaching and research centres in 35 universities and the government of India's Department of Biotechnology funded them for 30 to 40 years and did not ask questions of what is coming out of it.

"After 30 years we realised we had an excellent biotechnological base in agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, because the money had gone into it."

Goal-oriented research

The second type of research in centres of excellence is strategic, such as research into nuclear or atomic energy, aimed at developing areas with economic returns in the medium or long term.

But there is also research that needs to show results in the short term, such as in urban development, transport and telecommunications, where solutions need to be found swiftly.

"There are more than 960 million mobile phones in use in India for 1.2 billion people. But from mobiles you will have to go into higher grade and integrate and increase the internet intensity within these mobiles and create information technology for development – health, nutrition and so on," Krishna argued.

"But even in the short-term you need excellence because without excellent systems you won't manage 950 million mobiles. It's a gigantic network."

Krishna warned that for top research "there can't be a universal policy tool to develop centres of excellence. Every country has its own national socio-cultural context within which centres of excellence would come up."

Countries like Britain and Germany are engaged in global 'frontier' research while African countries would be looking at local and national frontiers. These would nonetheless be centres of excellence.

In Africa a policy of creating centres of excellence would mean institutionalisation and professionalisation of science, developing links between universities and reaching certain standards and quality.

Abstract: Solar electricity is a clean energy solution for Sustainable Energy. Solar photovoltaic program in India began in early 1980s. India announced the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission for accelerating solar electricity growth in 2010. A target of achieving 20,000 MW of solar electricity by 2022 has been set. This paper presents current solar energy scene in India, carries out a study of R&D indicators, and makes an assessment of research output. 'Web of Science' R&D publications from 2000-2009 in India vs. world have been analyzed. India is among the five leading countries in research publications, but in the overall analysis, India is lagging behind. The study provides a baseline in research output just before the start of the national solar mission and establishes the need for increasing R&D investment many folds for meeting the set targets.

Theme: "Labour Markets, Employment and Inclusive Growth in South Asia"

Rapid economic growth in South Asia has not yielded commensurate returns in terms of better livelihood and employment conditions for its fast growing labour force. A large majority of the region's workers are engaged in low-paid jobs in the informal economy, resulting in widespread insecurity of livelihoods. The region has witnessed concentration of the benefits of growth among only a fraction of the population, and the exclusion of many. SARNET is a research and network programme of South Asian institutions and scholars coordinated by the Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi, in collaboration with ILO and ESCAP, with support from IDRC (Canada). Its objective is to find ways to improve the nature of growth in South Asia so as to reduce the existing vulnerability of workers, to increase the quality of employment and to enhance social protection. The other objectives of the programme include capacity building of young researchers from the region who are interested in studying labour markets.

SARNET is issuing this first competitive call for papers on 'Labour Markets, Employment and Inclusive Growth in South Asia'. The topics and issues include, but need not be restricted, to the following: What has been the pace and pattern of employment creation in South Asia during the last two to three decades, and what kind of linkage can be seen with growth performance? Why is there a high level of informalization of jobs in South Asia? What kind of policies and institutions are needed to promote formalization? What are the constraints to manufacturing growth in South Asia? What are the dynamics of the emerging patterns of labour market inequality and social exclusion in South Asia? What kinds of changes are required in labour market institutions to generate high quality jobs and lead to growth for the promotion of inclusive development?

Young scholars (below the age of 35 years) of South Asian nationality (working either in the region or outside) are invited to submit proposals for empirical papers, covering any or all of the major South Asian economies, including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SARNET supports gender parity and encourages women to apply. The proposals should include an abstract (of around 1000 words) outlining the main research questions, conceptual framework, methodology and empirical base of the paper. The paper (of about 8000 words) should not have been published earlier in any form. An amount of USD 3,000 would be paid for the accepted papers. The proposals and submitted papers would be reviewed by a committee of international experts. SARNET reserves the right to publish accepted papers in some reputed journals and/or in a book.

Proposals should be received by 21 August 2013. Authors of the selected proposals would be contacted by 1 September. Full drafts have to be submitted by 1 December 2013. The authors of the accepted papers would be invited to present their papers in a conference to be held in New Delhi during the middle of December 2013. Funds permitting, SARNET would provide travel subsidy and arrange accommodation of some authors from outside the region as well to enable them to attend the Conference.